Tom Hanks vows to boycott woke book rewrites: 'We're all grown ups!'
Tom Hanks has vowed to boycott woke books after releasing his new novel
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Tom Hanks has passionately vowed to boycott woke book rewrites, claiming “we are all grown ups”.
The American actor, 66, was asked if he supports the censorship of works by prominent authors, including Roald Dahl and Agatha Christie.
Hanks said he was of the “opinion that we’re all grown ups here” and revealed he would be “against reading any book from an era that says ‘abridged due to modern sensitivities’”.
In a pre-recorded interview with BBC Radio 4, the Forrest Gump and Toy Story star said: “Well, I’m of the opinion that we’re all grown-ups here.
Tom Hanks made the remarks while discussing the release of his first novel The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece
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“And we understand the time and the place and when these things were written.
“And it’s not very hard at all to say: that doesn’t quite fly right now, does it?
“Let’s have faith in our own sensibilities here, instead of having somebody decide what we may or may not be offended by.
“Let me decide what I am offended by and not offended by.
Roald Dahl's books were among those being censored by publishers
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“I would be against reading any book from any era that says ‘abridged due to modern sensitivities’.”
Hanks made the remarks while discussing the release of his first novel The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece.
Publishers of classic works, including Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, recently announced plans to rewrite segments of the books.
Dahl’s classic collection of books are covered by Puffin UK and the publisher said it had “listened to the debate”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also weighed in on the debate, with his spokesman saying fiction should be “preserved and not airbrushed”
GB NewsPuffin UK stressed there were “very real questions around how stories can be kept relevant for new generations”.
The publisher removed words like “fat” to describe characters and added gender neutral terms.
A spokesperson for the Roald Dahl Story Company recently said: “We want to ensure that Roald Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.
“When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details including a book’s cover and page layout.
Tom Hanks starred as the voice of Woody in Pixar's Toy Story
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"Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text.
"Any changes made have been small and carefully considered.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also weighed in on the debate, with his spokesman recently saying that fiction should be “preserved and not airbrushed”.